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State of Karnataka v. F. Nataraj

Criminal Appeal · Neutral citation not assigned (Criminal Appeal No. 1439 of 2011)Decided 7 Oct 2015
Criminal Appeal No. 1439 of 2011
Justice Pinaki Chandra Ghose · Justice R.K. Agrawal

Background

A schoolteacher was accused of taking a 14-year-old student away from her town in 2003 and of having sexual intercourse with her. The trial court convicted him and sentenced him to five years' rigorous imprisonment, but the High Court acquitted him on appeal because it was not proved beyond reasonable doubt that intercourse had taken place. The State of Karnataka appealed that acquittal to the Supreme Court.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court noted that the victim's age (under 16) was not in dispute, so the only question was whether intercourse was established. It found the girl's court testimony inconsistent with her earlier written complaint and with her police statement, and noted that key witnesses such as the aunt were not examined. The medical officer found no injuries and no signs of recent intercourse, and gave no evidence to show even slight penetration. The Court held that the victim's uncorroborated testimony could not be relied on in these circumstances, gave the accused the benefit of doubt, and dismissed the State's appeal.

Lesson Learnt

A court can convict on a victim's word alone, but only if that word is consistent and reliable; where it is contradicted by earlier statements and by medical evidence, the prosecution's case can fail. For ordinary readers, this shows why consistent statements and proper medical examination matter in serious cases.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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